No room for dynastic rule in democracy, says Altaf Bukhari

Srinagar, May 22: Apni Party President, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, on Wednesday said, “We live in a democratic country, and in democracy, there is no place for Khandani Raj (dynastic rule).”

He stated that “the leadership that ensured J&K’s accession to India in 1947 was supported by the people with slogans like ‘Ala karay ga, wangan karay ga, bab karay ga’ (whatever good or bad would be done; only Sheikh Abdullah is entitled to do it). Therefore, J&K was destined to be with India forever, and this status can’t be changed.” He made these remarks during his separate addresses at two public rallies in south Kashmir’s Shopian and Kulgam districts.

Bukhari urged people not to fall prey to the deceptive slogans of the traditional parties. He said, “You should no longer trust these traditional parties and their leaders. In every election season, they come seeking your votes, promising the moon and the stars. They have been deceiving you with misleading narratives, fake promises, and emotional slogans for years and decades. Now, once again, they are coming to you with new false promises and slogans. You must tell them, ‘Enough is enough.' Don’t fall prey to their political gimmickry. Ask them why they don’t talk now about their earlier slogans like ‘Raishumari’, ‘Autonomy’, and ‘Self-rule’ if they truly believe in these ideals. They never meant what they said. They only kept you busy with these slogans to attain power for themselves and establish their dynastic rule here.”

Taking a dig at the PDP leader for her assertion that people will fight for another hundred years, Bukhari remarked, “Fight for what? The people of J&K are not going to fight against their country. Yes, we should fight, but not against our country; instead, we must fight against issues like poverty, and unemployment.”

“The PDP leader held the post of Chief Minister and State Home Minister in 2017 when people like Engineer Rashid, Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, and others were arrested and sent to jail. The leaders of NC and PDP, who remained at the helm for years and decades, are responsible for landing thousands of our youth either in jails or in graveyards,” he added.

Reiterating his conviction regarding J&K's relationship with the rest of the country, he said, “Jammu and Kashmir has been destined to be an integral part of the country, and it will always remain so. Although New Delhi has caused issues and problems for the people in this region, I am sure the solutions to these issues and problems will also come from New Delhi, not from elsewhere.”

He however blamed New Delhi for paving the way for a prolonged phase of violence in Jammu and Kashmir by permitting widespread rigging in the elections held here in 1987.

He said, “After the Rajiv-Farooq accord, the central government allowed widespread rigging in the assembly elections held in 1987. This ensured the NC’s victory, even though it had lost the entire election. A candidate named Mohammad Yusuf Shah had won the election, but he was declared a loser. This injustice led Mohammad Yusuf Shah to adopt the persona of Syed Salah-ud-Din. People like Yasin Malik had placed their faith in democracy by participating in these elections, but New Delhi and their puppets here ruined everything. They did not allow democracy to flourish here.”

“This infamous rigging paved the way for violence here, and eventually, we lost lakhs of our youngsters. Those who contributed to the rigging are responsible for the deaths and bloodshed on this land. An inquiry must be held to ascertain the facts,” he added.

Urging people to vote for Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, Apni Party’s candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, Bukhari said, “Apni Party needs your support and vote to ensure we implement our pro-people agenda in Jammu and Kashmir. I urge you to vote for Apni Party candidate, and I assure you that this party will not disappoint you.”

The Apni Party president promised that upon receiving a public mandate to serve, the party would ensure the release of prisoners, withdraw FIRs against youth, issue verification reports to job aspirants and passport seekers without hindrance, abolish draconian laws like PSA and AFSPA, restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, lift ban on religious organizations like Jama’at-e-Islami, and many more initiatives.